11 September – the world is plunged into a state of shock as terrorist attacks takes place in New York City and Washington, D.C. The people of Ireland extend their sympathies to the people of the United States, particularly in view of the strong Irish American heritage of the New York City Fire Department.

14 September – Ireland holds a national day of mourning as a result of the attacks in the United States. All sports, public functions, and entertainment are cancelled on orders of the government. Schools, businesses, and stores throughout the country are closed, also on orders of the government. President Mary McAleese says that the events are "an attack on the very foundations of human dignity" and left the people of Ireland "sad, shocked, sickened, grieving, disbelieving, outraged, frightened all at once."[2]

1.
2000 in Ireland
–
The following lists events that happened during 2000 in Ireland. 11 February – the British government suspended devolution in Northern Ireland,10 April – the ambulance service regulator, the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, was established. Spring – Clive Cusslers National Underwater and Marine Agency discovered the wreck of RMS Carpathia 120 mi west of Fastnet Rock,6 May – the Provisional Irish Republican Army began decommissioning its weapons. 30 May – devolution returned to Northern Ireland,6 July – the Intoxicating Liquor Act,2000 came into effect abolishing the so-called holy hour between 2 pm and 4 pm on Sundays when pubs had been forced to close their doors. 13 December – Bill Clinton met with the leaders of Northern Ireland. 31 December – Ireland celebrated as the 20th century drew to a close,7 February – the Chester Beatty Library opened in its new premises in the grounds of Dublin Castle. 31 October – boyband Westlife scored their seventh straight UK number one, December – the quarterly cultural magazine The Dublin Review was launched by Brendan Barrington. John Banvilles novel Eclipse was published, anne Enrights novel What Are You Like. was published. Shelbourne won the double of the League of Ireland Premier Division and they then knocked out Macedonian side Sloga Jugomagnat in the first round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. Their 1–0 win in Skopje was the first away win in a European tie by a League of Ireland side for eighteen years, rosenborg of Norway knock Shelbourne out 4–2 on aggregate in the second qualifying round. Kilkenny won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, kerry won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Murphys Irish Open was won by Patrik Sjöland, January to June 28 January – Tony Doyle, actor. 1 February – Patrick Shanahan, Fianna Fáil TD.2 February – Francis Stuart,25 February – Tom McEllistrim, Fianna Fáil TD.6 March – Jonathan Philbin Bowman, journalist and radio presenter. 20 April – John Carthy, shot dead in controversial circumstances by An Garda Síochána after a siege at his home. 7 June – Mona Tyndall, missionary sister and development worker,10 June – Frank Patterson, tenor. July to December 10 July – Denis OConor Don, hereditary chief of the OConor Don sept,14 August – John Boland, senior Fine Gael politician. 18 October – James Gill, cricketer,8 November – Brian Boydell, composer, professor of music at Trinity College, Dublin. 18 November – Lochlainn ORaifeartaigh, physicist responsible for the ORaifeartaigh Theorem,26 November – Paddy Donegan, former Fine Gael TD and Cabinet Minister

2.
1999 in Ireland
–
Events from the year 1999 in Ireland. President, Mary McAleese Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern Tánaiste, Mary Harney Chief Justice, Liam Hamilton Dáil,13 January – Derek Hill becomes the eleventh honorary citizen of Ireland. 5 February – new legislation changes the name of the RSI No to the Personal Public Service Number,31 March – the Irish Land Commission is dissolved. April – Senator George Mitchell Peace Bridge opened across the Border,27 April – States of Fear television series made by Mary Raftery for RTÉ begins broadcasting. 21 May – Gay Byrne hosts his last Late Late Show after 37 years,22 May – the electorate of the entire island of Ireland go to the polls to vote on the Good Friday Agreement. 23 May – people north and south give their support to the Good Friday Agreement. 17 June – UEFA punishes the Football Association of Ireland with a fine of £25,000,11 August – Ireland joins the world and watches the last solar eclipse of the millennium. 28 August –80,000 fans see the Robbie Williams concert at Slane Castle,12 October – Peter Mandelson arrives in Belfast as the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. 20 October – President McAleese leads tributes to the former Taoiseach Jack Lynch who died aged 82, November – remaining prohibition orders made under the Censorship of Publications Acts relating to contraception or termination of pregnancy are lifted. 28 November – a bright fireball passed over Leighlinbridge, County Carlow accompanied by detonations, four stone meteorite fragments totaling 271.4 g were found afterwards and were classified as ordinary chondrites. 29 November – ten designated ministers are appointed to the power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly,2 December The Irish Government ratifies changes to Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. Direct rule from Westminster in Northern Ireland ends,13 December – the first meeting of the North/South Ministerial Council takes place in Armagh. Inez McCormack of UNISON becomes the first woman President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions,10 April – Sligo boyband Westlife release their first single, Swear It Again, the first of seven which will go straight to the number one in the UK Singles Chart. 6 October – Frank McGuinnesss drama Dolly Wests Kitchen is premiered at the Abbey Theatre,1 November – Westlife release their first album, five singles from which will go to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Colm Tóibíns novel The Blackwater Lightship is published, Meath GAA beat Cork GAA 1–11 to 1–8 to win their second All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in four years. Murphys Irish Open is won by Sergio García, Cork GAA beat Kilkenny GAA 0–13 to 0–12 to win the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship for the first time since 1990. St Patricks Athletic win the League of Ireland for the 3rd time in 4 years, January to June 15 January – Robert Lowry, Baron Lowry, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland. 28 January – Markey Robinson, artist,8 February – Iris Murdoch, novelist and philosopher

3.
1998 in Ireland
–
Events from the year 1998 in Ireland. 14 January – the Planning Tribunal opens in Dublin Castle,27 February – Republic of Ireland qualifies for entry into the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union. 15 March – former Fine Gael Minister Hugh Coveney dies in a fall from a cliff in County Cork,10 April – The British and Irish governments and all the political parties in Northern Ireland sign the Belfast Agreement. 22 May – the Good Friday Agreement is endorsed in a referendum by people north and south of the border,1 July – the new Northern Ireland Assembly first meets, in shadow form, Reg Empey and Seamus Mallon are elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively. 15 August – Omagh bombing,29 people die in a car explosion near the centre of Omagh, County Tyrone. 4 September – Bill Clinton, President of the United States,26 November – Tony Blair becomes the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to address the Oireachtas. 30 November – unemployment falls by 20% with the number of people in work rising by 100,000,12 December – members of the Labour Party and Democratic Left agree to merge. 26 December – great Boxing Day Storm, Severe gale-force winds hit north west Ireland causing widespread disruption to services,31 December – the Punt is traded for the last time as the Euro currency is launched. 28 February – actor and comedian Dermot Morgan dies suddenly in London,25 May – Patrick McCabes novel Breakfast on Pluto is published. 3 July – the boyband Westlife are formed,28 August – Maeve Binchys novel Tara Road is published. 20 September – TV3 goes on the air,7 October – Marina Carrs drama By the Bog of Cats opens at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. 24 December – Gay Byrne broadcasts his radio show, from St Stephens Green. John Montague becomes the first occupant of the Ireland Chair of Poetry, garry Hynes becomes the first woman to win a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play on Broadway. Brendan Grahams Great Famine novel The Whitest Flower is published, terence Dolans A Dictionary of Hiberno-English, The Irish Use of English is published. Galway GAA win the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, beating Kildare GAA in the final, murphys Irish Open is won by David Carter. Offaly GAA win the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship for the time in five years. 6 August – Olympic gold medalist Michelle Smith is banned from competition for four years for tampering with a drug test. St Patricks Athletic won the League of Ireland Cork City FC won the FAI Cup Shelbournes home UEFA Cup tie against Rangers is moved to England due to fears of sectarian trouble, despite taking a 3–0 lead, Shels lose 3–5

4.
1997 in Ireland
–
Events from the year 1997 in Ireland. 27 February – the law providing for divorce came into effect,6 March – Michael Lowry resigned as a member of the Fine Gael party. 7 March – President Mary Robinson met Pope John Paul II in the Vatican,17 March – the new national independent radio station, Radio Ireland, went on the air. 8 April – author Frank McCourt was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his book Angelas Ashes,6 June – in the general election, Fianna Fáil won a plurality of seats and formed a coalition government with the Progressive Democrats. Bertie Ahern replaced John Bruton as Taoiseach, and Mary Harney of the Progressive Democrats became Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade,12 June – President Mary Robinson was appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. 16 June – National University of Ireland, Maynooth came into existence with the commencement of the Universities Act,1997. 25 June – film makers arrived for two months of shooting at Curracloe, County Wexford to re-create the D-Day Normandy invasion scenes for Steven Spielbergs film Saving Private Ryan,3 July – Taoiseach Bertie Ahern met United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair for the first time. 9 July – counsel for Charles Haughey admitted that the former Taoiseach accepted £1.3 million from businessman Ben Dunne,20 July – the Irish Republican Army instituted a second ceasefire. 12 September – Mary Robinson resigned as President to assume her new role as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,18 September – the converted Collins Barracks re-opened to house the National Museum of Irelands Decorative Arts and History collections. 7 October – substantial all-party talks began in Northern Ireland,10 October – at a Provisional Irish Republican Army General Army Convention held at Falcarragh, County Donegal, a majority supported the ceasefire. 1 November – the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal Act,1997,7 November – Dick Spring confirmed that he was resigning as leader of the Labour Party. 11 November – Mary McAleese was inaugurated as the eighth President of Ireland,13 November – Ruairi Quinn won the leadership of the Labour Party. 27 December – the Loyalist Volunteer Force leader Billy Wright was shot dead in the Maze prison by members of the Irish National Liberation Army,3 May – Ireland staged the Eurovision Song Contest, hosted by Ronan Keating and Carrie Crowley. The Irish entry, Mysterious Woman sung by Marc Roberts, came second,4 July – Conor McPhersons play The Weir premièred at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London. 13 July – Neil Jordans film The Butcher Boy is released in Ireland,24 November – the first episode aired of the RTÉ television programme, A Scare at Bedtime. 31 December – Jim Sheridans film The Boxer was released, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, raidió Teilifís Éireann rebranded its television channel Network 2 as N2. John Banvilles novel The Untouchable was published, kerry won the National Football League, beating Cork 3–7 to 1–8 in the final. Kerry won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winners for the first time since 1986, limerick beat Galway 1–12 to 1–9 in the National Hurling League final

5.
1996 in Ireland
–
Events from the year 1996 in Ireland. 5 February – the Football Association of Ireland appointed Mick McCarthy as manager of the Irish football team. 9 February – a large Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb exploded in the London Docklands area, near Canary Wharf, injuring around forty,11 March – the Hepatitis Tribunal opened in Dublin. 6 June – President Mary Robinson became the first serving Irish president to visit the United Kingdom,7 June – detective Garda Jerry McCabe was shot dead by the IRA in Adare, County Limerick. 26 June – crime reporter Veronica Guerin was shot dead in her car in Dublin,11 September – new £100 note with a Red & Brown front and a Green & Yellow back with Charles Stewart Parnell, replacing the 68 year old £100 note. 25 September – the last Magdalene asylum closed, in Waterford,29 November – it was revealed that Dunnes Stores paid £208,000 for an extension to Minister Michael Lowrys house. 13 December – on the day of a Dublin summit. 23 December – French film-maker Sophie Toscan du Plantier was murdered outside her home in Schull. 11 February – the television drama series Ballykissangel first aired and it was made by BBC Northern Ireland and set in a rural Irish community. 18 May – Ireland won the Eurovision Song Contest for the time with The Voice, sung by Eimear Quinn. 7 August – Marie Jones play Stones in His Pockets was premiered in Belfast,26 September – Enda Walshs play Disco Pigs was premiered by the Corcadorca Theatre Company at the Triskel Arts Centre in Cork. 31 October – Irelands first Irish language television station, Teilifís na Gaeilge, was launched, on 3 November the soap opera Ros na Rún was first aired on the channel. 6 November – the film Michael Collins was shown in Cork, the following novels were published, Evening Class by Maeve Binchy. Reading in the Dark by Seamus Deane, lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married by Marian Keyes. The Story of the Night by Colm Tóibín, meath GAA beat Mayo in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final, after a replay, to win their first title since 1988. Murphys Irish Open was won by Colin Montgomerie, wexford GAA beat Limerick GAA in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final. It was their first senior All-Ireland since 1968, swimmer Michelle Smith won three gold medals and one bronze in the Atlanta Olympics. 28 October – Una Raymond-Hoey, cricketer 8 January – Joyce McCartan,12 February – James Camlin Beckett, historian

6.
Ireland
–
Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth. Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, in 2011, the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland, the islands geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild, thick woodlands covered the island until the Middle Ages. As of 2013, the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11% of the total, there are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland. The Irish climate is moderate and classified as oceanic. As a result, winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area, however, summers are cooler than those in Continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant, the earliest evidence of human presence in Ireland is dated at 10,500 BC. Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century CE, the island was Christianised from the 5th century onward. Following the Norman invasion in the 12th century, England claimed sovereignty over Ireland, however, English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th–17th century Tudor conquest, which led to colonisation by settlers from Britain. In the 1690s, a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters, with the Acts of Union in 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s and this subsided following a political agreement in 1998. In 1973 the Republic of Ireland joined the European Economic Community while the United Kingdom, Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature. Alongside mainstream Western culture, an indigenous culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music. The culture of the island shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing. The name Ireland derives from Old Irish Eriu and this in turn derives from Proto-Celtic *Iveriu, which is also the source of Latin Hibernia. Iveriu derives from a root meaning fat, prosperous, during the last glacial period, and up until about 9000 years ago, most of Ireland was covered with ice, most of the time

7.
2002 in Ireland
–
Events from the year 2002 in Ireland. President, Mary McAleese Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern Tánaiste, Mary Harney Chief Justice, Ronan Keane Dáil, the people of the Republic of Ireland adapt to the loss of the Irish pound without any major confusion. 9 January – former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev receives the Freedom of the City of Dublin,7 March – a referendum on a proposal to amend the Constitution to remove the threat of suicide as a ground for legal abortion is narrowly defeated. 13 March – ferry MS Stena Europe is introduced on the Fishguard–Rosslare route,21 March – the third Coimisiún na Gaeltachta publishes its report on strengthening the role of the Irish language in the Gaeltacht. 2 April – Brendan Comiskey, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ferns resigns after criticism of his handling of cases in the diocese. 5 April – the first recruits of the new Police Service of Northern Ireland graduate,17 May –2002 general election, The Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalition is re-elected. It is the first government to be re-elected since 1969, Fianna Fáil achieve 80 seats, just four short of an overall majority. Fine Gael lose 23 seats and Labour remains static, increased support for Sinn Féin results in four extra TDs. Michael Noonan resigns as leader of Fine Gael and Ruairi Quinn resigns as leader of the Labour Party,1 June – the Republic of Ireland national football team begins its 2002 FIFA World Cup campaign. It will be knocked out in the second round,11 October – Geraldine Kennedy is appointed the first female editor of The Irish Times. 14 October – as of midnight the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive are suspended by order of the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland,19 October – Irish voters accept the Treaty of Nice in the second referendum held on the issue. February – Sebastian Barrys satire Hinterland, based on the life of Charles Haughey, is premièred at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin,10 August – Niall Brutons sculpture Waiting on Shore is unveiled at Rosses Point. 26 September – five Old Master paintings from the Beit collection are stolen from Russborough House,25 October – Peter Mullans film The Magdalene Sisters released in Ireland. The Chester Beatty Library in Dublin wins the European Museum of the Year Award, John Banvilles novel Shroud is published. 2002 Six Nations Championship Ireland lose to England and France 2001–02 Heineken Cup Munster and Leinster advance from the pool stage, Leinster are defeated in the quarter-finals while Munster are defeated by Leicester in the final. January to June 6 May – Feargal McKeever January to June 14 January – Colm Hilliard, Fianna Fáil TD.16 January – Jim Tunney, former Fianna Fáil TD, Minister of State,22 February – Paddy Ambrose, soccer player and coach. 22 February – Brendan ODowda, tenor singer,27 February – Spike Milligan, comedian, poet and writer. 14 March – Kevin Danaher, folklorist and writer,8 May – Sylvester Barrett, former Fianna Fáil TD, Cabinet Minister and MEP.30 May – John B

8.
2003 in Ireland
–
Events from the year 2003 in Ireland. President, Mary McAleese Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern Tánaiste, Mary Harney Chief Justice, Ronan Keane Dáil,16 February –100,000 people in Dublin, and 30,000 in Belfast marched to express their opposition to the imminent invasion of Iraq. 7 April – President Bush of the United States arrived in Northern Ireland for discussuions with British Prime Minister and he also met Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and the leaders of the pro-agreement parties. 21 June – the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games were opened by the former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, in Croke Park, Dublin. 31 August – the remains of Belfast mother Jean McConville were found 31 years after she was abducted and murdered by the Provisional IRA,15 September – for the first time the All-Ireland Football Final was contested by two teams from the same province. Tyrone were victorious over Armagh in the first All-Ulster Final,27 November – the people of Northern Ireland went to the polls. The Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin made massive gains at the expense of more moderate unionist and nationalist parties, may – Claire Kilroys debut novel All Summer was published. 25 November – the contents of Lissadell House in County Sligo were auctioned, hugo Hamiltons memoir The Speckled People was published. Paul Murrays comic novel An Evening of Long Goodbyes was published and my Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk won the International Dublin Literary Award. All-Ireland Hurling Final – Kilkenny 1–14, Cork 1–11, All-Ireland Football Final – Tyrone 0–12, Armagh 0–9. Nissan Irish Open was won by Michael Campbell, rugby World Cup – Ireland reached the quarter-finals of the competition before being beaten by France. 2003 Six Nations Championship, Ireland lost only to England, who won the tournament with a grand slam, 2002–03 Heineken Cup, Munster and Leinster advanced from the pool stage and both were defeated in the semi-finals. The final was played in Lansdowne Road, the League of Ireland moved from a predominantly winter season to a Scandinavian style summer season. Bohemians won the transitional 2002/03 season and Shelbourne won the 2003 championship, January to June 8 January – Patrick Pery, 6th Earl of Limerick, peer and public servant. 21 January – Tony OMalley, painter,23 January – Aodhagán Brioscú, last surviving founder of Irish cultural organisation Gael Linn. 29 January – Mary Reid, one of the Irish of Vincennes,16 February – Seán Ó Cionnaith, Workers Party of Ireland politician. 25 February – Tom OHiggins, barrister and judge, Irish Chief Justice, Fine Gael TD,11 March – Brian Cleeve, writer and television broadcaster. 17 March – Linda Kavanagh, Workers Party activist and Dublin City Council member,2 April – Pat Leavy, actress

9.
2004 in Ireland
–
Events from the year 2004 in Ireland. 1 January – Scouting Ireland was founded,28 February – five people were killed in a bus crash at Wellington Quay, Dublin. 16 March – the cooling towers of Rhode Power Station, near Kilbeggan,27 March – Irelands rugby team won the Triple Crown for the first time since 1985. 29 March – a smoking ban introduced by Minister for Health, Micheál Martin, came into effect in all pubs, restaurants, and work places. The Irish drinkers could travel to Wales by ferryboat for as little as £10 for a ticket, smoke cigarettes while drinking. 1–25 May – heads of government celebrated in Dublin as the European Union admitted ten new member states, June – the first phase of the Arklow Bank Wind Park, Irelands first offshore wind farm, was commissioned. 16 June – the Grangegorman Development Bill was published by the Irish Government,25 June – US President George W. Bush arrived at Shannon Airport for an EU-U. S. 30 June Ireland was congratulated on its presidency of the European Commission, operations commenced on the Luas Green Line in Dublin. 20 July – Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, was appointed as Irelands next European Commissioner,7 August – athlete Cathal Lombard was accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs at the Olympic Games. 13 August – Minister for Agriculture, Joe Walsh, announced his retirement from the Cabinet after seven years and he was the longest-serving agriculture minister in Europe. 27 August – Cian OConnor won a medal for Ireland at the Olympic Games in Athens. 8 September – former Taoiseach John Bruton was appointed EU Ambassador to the United States,14 September – Mary McAleese announced her intention to run for a second term as President of Ireland. 29 September – Mary Coughlan was appointed Irelands first female Minister for Agriculture,30 September leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Ian Paisley, made an historic first visit to Dublin for political talks with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Luas Red Line commenced operation from Tallaght to Connolly Station,1 October – as nominations for Presidential candidates closed, Mary McAleese was re-elected unopposed for a second term as President of Ireland. 2 October – Irelands second national television channel, N2, reverted to its name of RTÉ Two. 5 October – the Irish Government issued an Irish passport to British hostage Ken Bigley in an effort to secure his release from his Iraqi captors,16 October – Bertie Ahern held discussions with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Dublin. 19 October – Dublin-born aid worker Margaret Hassan was kidnapped in Iraq,3 November – Fran Rooney resigned as chief executive of the Football Association of Ireland. 9 November – banned substances were confirmed in the B blood sample of the horse,11 November – Mary McAleese was inaugurated for a second term as President of Ireland

10.
2005 in Ireland
–
Events from the year 2005 in Ireland. 1 January – Cork officially becomes the European Capital of Culture for 2005,8 January – Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern TD, begins a visit to the area in South-East Asia that was devastated by the recent tsunami. 12 January – body of Robert Holohan is found 18 January – Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and he is accompanied by one third of the Cabinet, including Micheál Martin, Mary Hanafin, Mary Coughlan and Noel Dempsey. 20 January – the Republic of Ireland officially changes all road signage, distance and speed in Northern Ireland remain in miles per hour. 24 January – former Minister for Justice Ray Burke is jailed for six months for tax evasion and he is the first Cabinet minister to be jailed as a result of the tribunals of inquiry. 30 January – Belfast man Robert McCartney is killed outside a bar in the city by members of the Provisional IRA,7 February – Taoiseach Bertie Ahern lays the foundation stone of a new town called Adamstown, just outside Lucan, County Dublin. 17 February – seven people are detained by the Gardaí for suspected activities in relation to the bank heist in Belfast in December 2004, £2.3 million sterling is seized in County Cork. 4 March – the 100th Sinn Féin Ard-Fheis opens at the Royal Dublin Society in Ballsbridge,11 March – the Irish Sugar Company factory in Carlow closes for good with the loss of several hundred jobs. The factory was Irelands oldest sugar factory,17 March – St. Patricks Day, The sisters and fiancée of murdered Belfast-man, Robert McCartney, meet US President George W. Bush in the United States. 27 March – Cian OConnor is stripped of his Olympic gold medal after the ruling body find that his horse. 2 April – there is prayer, mourning and remembrance in honour of Pope John Paul II following his death in Rome at 20,37 Irish time. 4 April – the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern TD, is appointed one of four special envoys for United Nations reform by the UN Secretary General,8 April – the late Pope John Paul II is laid to rest in Rome. President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern represent the Irish people at his funeral, there is a remembrance service under the papal cross in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. 16 April – the annual congress of the Gaelic Athletic Association votes to open up Croke Park and allow soccer, the President and her driver escape injury. 23 May – five schoolgirls die and many people are injured in a collision involving a crowded Bus Éireann school bus. 13 June – the Irish language is granted status as a working language within the European Union. 30 June – the M50 motorway is completed,34 years after the route was first envisaged and 17 years after construction began. 7 July – Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, meets Pope Benedict XVI for an audience in Rome

11.
2006 in Ireland
–
Events from the year 2006 in Ireland. 9 January – Steve Staunton is appointed the new manager of the Republic of Ireland football team,17 January – the GAA, FAI and IRFU announce that a deal has been reached which will allow soccer and rugby to be played in Croke Park. 25 February – Rioting in Dublin as Republican protestors condemn the right for a Love Ulster parade in the city. 11 March – the last ever competitive rugby international takes place at the oldest rugby venue in the world, Lansdowne Road, after 128 years of use, before the ground is redeveloped. 17 March – over 400,000 people take to the streets of Dublin to celebrate St. Patricks Day as part of the worlds largest St. Patricks Day Festival. 16 April – up to 120,000 people line the streets of Dublin to mark the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising,23 April – the 2006 census takes place in the Republic of Ireland. 26 April – Prince Philip of the United Kingdom meets President Mary McAleese,14 May – Fianna Fáil celebrates its 80th anniversary with a day of celebrations at the Mansion House, Dublin. Patricks cathedral, Dublin after a one-week hunger-strike 22 May – Belfast City airport is renamed George Best Belfast City Airport on what would have been George Bests 60th birthday,24 May – Prime Minister of Australia John Howard formally addresses Dáil Éireann. 16 June – the state funeral of the former Taoiseach Charles Haughey takes place in Dublin,18 June – Irish Government announces plans to spend €3.8 billion on scientific research over 7 years to grow world-class research capabilities. 19 July – the warmest temperature this century is recorded at Elphin, July 2006 is the warmest, on average, since records began in both the Republic and Northern Ireland. 19 July – CSO preliminary 2006 census findings indicate that the population of the Republic of Ireland is 4,234,925 million, the total population for the island now stands at just under 6 million. 1 September – 150th anniversary of the birth of John Redmond,7 September – Mary Harney resigns as leader of the Progressive Democrats. She has led the party since October 1993,11 September – Michael McDowell becomes, by consensus, leader of the Progressive Democrats 18 October – Northern Ireland overtake the Republic of Ireland in the Fifa rankings for the first time. 24 November – Loyalist Michael Stone, attempts to bomb the NI Assembly on the day nominations for first,20 December – Dublin Port Tunnel officially opened. 5 January – The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, a young peoples novel by John Boyne, is published,2 March – Ireland, Awakening, an historical novel by Edward Rutherfurd, is published. June – Ciaran Creaghs play Last Call, based loosely on the hanging of murderer Michael Manning in 1954 as witnessed by the father, is staged in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin. 13 June – Colm Tóibíns novel The Master wins the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and he is the first Irish writer to win. His short story collection Mothers and Sons is published this year,26 July – Sesquicentennial anniversary of the birth of George Bernard Shaw

12.
2001 in Northern Ireland
–
Monarch - Elizabeth II29 April -2001 United Kingdom Census carried out. 15 June - dispute arises between local loyalist and republican activists on the Crumlin Road peace line in North Belfast over the flying of loyalist paramilitary flags, loyalists begin to picket the nearby Catholic primary school, beginning the Holy Cross dispute, continuing throughout June. 3 September - loyalist pickets at Holy Cross resume when the school re-opens for a new term, leading to unrest,23 October - the Provisional Irish Republican Army announces that it has begun to decommission its weapons. 4 November - the Police Service of Northern Ireland is established,12 November -400 police officers are involved in escorting the children and their parents to and from Holy Cross school. 17 November - the Gaelic Athletic Association votes to abolish its controversial Rule 21, members of the British Army and the Police Service of Northern Ireland will henceforth be permitted to join the organisation. Saint Patrick Visitor Centre opens in Downpatrick, Odyssey Arena and entertainment complex is opened in Belfast. Eoin McNamees novel The Blue Tango is published, the Mens 2001 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Belfast from June 3 to June 10. Almost 400 boxers from 67 countries took part in the Odyssey Arena event, Irish League Winners, Linfield Irish Cup Winners, Glentoran 1 -0 Linfield Senior British Open Championship held at Royal County Down Golf Club. Graeme McDowell is a member of the Great Britain and Ireland team which retained the Walker Cup at Sea Island in Georgia, Ulster Grand Prix and North West 200 cancelled due to Foot-and Mouth crisis. 14 August - Stanley Hewitt, cricketer,28 September - Martin OHagan, journalist. 12 December - Michael Torrens-Spence, held commissions in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Air Force, james Simmons, poet, literary critic and songwriter

13.
2001
–
2001 was designated as, International Year of Volunteers January 1 – Kolkata officially restores name from Calcutta, West Bengal, India. January 10 – The U. S. Federal Trade Commission approves the merger of America Online and Time Warner to form AOL Time Warner. January 13 – A7.6 magnitude earthquake hits all of El Salvador, killing at least 800 people, January 15 – Wikipedia, a free wiki content encyclopedia, goes online. January 20 George W. Bush is sworn in as President of the United States, impeachment proceedings against Philippine President Joseph Estrada, accused of playing Jueteng, end preeminently and trigger the second EDSA People Power Revolution or People Power II. His Vice-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo succeeds him as the 14th President of the Republic, January 23 – The Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident occurs. January 26 – The 7.7 Mw Gujarat earthquake shakes Western India with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X, leaving 13, 805–20,023 dead and about 166,800 injured. January 31 – The Congressional Budget Office of the United States forecasts a $5,600,000,000,000 budget surplus for the next 10 years, February 9 – The submarine USS Greeneville accidentally strikes and sinks the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime-Maru near Hawaii. February 12 – The NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touches down in the region of 433 Eros. February 13 – A6.6 magnitude earthquake hits El Salvador, February 16 – Iraq disarmament crisis, British and U. S. forces carry out bombing raids, attempting to disable Iraqs air defense network. February 18 – FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested and charged with spying for Russia for 25 years, February 20 – The 2001 UK foot-and-mouth crisis begins. February 28 – The Great Heck rail crash occurs, march 2 – The Taliban begins destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas. March 4 – A bomb explodes at BBC Television Centre in London, march 23 The deorbit of Russian space station Mir is carried out near Nadi, Fiji, with Mir falling into the Pacific Ocean. The World Wrestling Federation purchases rival organization World Championship Wrestling for an estimated US$7 million. March 24 - The first release of Mac OS X is released as the successor to Mac OS9 and the Mac OS X Public Beta, which would not cease to function until May 14. April 1 Hainan Island incident, A Chinese fighter jet bumps into a U. S. EP-3E surveillance aircraft, the U. S. crew is detained for 10 days and the F-8 Chinese pilot, Wang Wei, goes missing and is presumed dead. Former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia President Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, in the Netherlands, the Act on the Opening up of Marriage goes into effect. The Act allows same-sex couples to marry legally for the first time in the world since the reign of Nero, april 28 – Soyuz TM-32 lifts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the first space tourist, American Dennis Tito. May 6 – Space tourist Dennis Tito returns to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-31, may 7 – In Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, an attempt is made to reconstruct the Ferhadija mosque. However, the results in mass riots by Serb nationalists

14.
President of Ireland
–
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland and the Supreme Commander of the Irish Defence Forces. The President holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms, unless a candidate runs unopposed, the President is directly elected by the people. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute discretion, the President acts as a representative of the Irish state. Former President Mary McAleese described the office as the guardian of the constitution, the Presidents official residence is Áras an Uachtaráin, which is located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. The office was established by the Constitution of Ireland in 1937, the current president is His Excellency Michael D Higgins, who was elected on 29 October 2011. His inauguration was held on 11 November 2011, President Higgins is a veteran left-wing politician and human rights campaigner. As a member of the Labour Party, he has served in both houses of the Oireachtas, President Higgins is also a poet and speaks the Irish language fluently. The Constitution of Ireland provides for a system of government. The President is formally one of three parts of the Oireachtas, which also comprises Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, unlike most other parliamentary democracies, the President is not even the nominal chief executive. Rather, executive authority is vested in the Government. The Government is obliged, however, to keep the President generally informed on matters of domestic, most of the functions of the President may be carried out only in accordance with the strict instructions of the Constitution, or the binding advice of the Government. The President does, however, possess certain personal powers that may be exercised at his or her discretion, the main functions are prescribed by the Constitution, Appoints the government The President formally appoints the Taoiseach and other ministers, and accepts their resignations. The Taoiseach is appointed upon the nomination of the Dáil, ministers are dismissed on the advice of the Taoiseach and the Taoiseach must, unless there is a dissolution of the Dáil, resign upon losing the confidence of the house. Appoints the judiciary The President appoints the judges to all Courts of the Republic of Ireland, convenes and dissolves the Dáil This power is exercised on the advice of the Taoiseach, government or Dáil approval is not needed. The President may only refuse a dissolution when a Taoiseach has lost the confidence of the Dáil, signs bills into law The President cannot veto a bill that the Dáil and the Seanad have adopted. However, he/she may refer it to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality, if the Supreme Court upholds the bill, the President must sign it. If, however, it is found to be unconstitutional, the President will decline to give assent, represents the state in foreign affairs This power is exercised only on the advice of the Government. The President accredits ambassadors and receives the letters of credence of foreign diplomats, ministers sign international treaties in the Presidents name

15.
Mary McAleese
–
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson. She was re-elected unopposed for a term in office in 2004. McAleese is the first President of Ireland to have come from either Northern Ireland or Ulster, McAleese graduated in Law from Queens University Belfast. In 1994, she became the first female Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Queens University and she worked as a barrister and also worked as a journalist with RTÉ. McAleese used her time in office to address issues concerning justice, social equality, social inclusion, anti-sectarianism and she described the theme of her Presidency as Building Bridges. This bridge-building materialised in her attempts to out to the unionist community in Northern Ireland. Despite being a practising Roman Catholic, she holds liberal views regarding homosexuality and she is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders and was ranked the 64th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes. In spite of minor controversies, McAleese remained popular and her Presidency is regarded as successful. Born Mary Patricia Leneghan in Ardoyne, north Belfast, McAleese was the eldest of nine children and her family was forced to leave the area by loyalists when The Troubles broke out. Educated at St Dominics High School, she spent some time when younger with the Poor Clares, Queens University Belfast. She was called to the Northern Irish Bar in 1974, in 1976, she married Martin McAleese, an accountant and dentist. He has assisted his wife with some of her initiatives as president, emma, born in 1982, graduated as an engineer from University College Dublin and is a dentistry student at Trinity College, Dublin. Twins were born in 1985, Justin, an accountant with a degree from University College Dublin, and SaraMai. Ahead of the 2015 Marriage Equality referendum, Justin spoke for the first time growing up gay. In 1975, she was appointed Reid Professor of Criminal law, Criminology and Penology in Trinity College, succeeding Mary Robinson. Also in 1975, McAleese chaired a meeting at Liberty Hall that advocated a right to choose and was quoted as saying that I would see the failure to provide abortion as a human rights issue. She later claimed that she misunderstood the nature of the meeting, during the same decade she was legal advisor to and a founding member of the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform

16.
Taoiseach
–
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The current Taoiseach is Enda Kenny, TD, who was appointed on 9 March 2011, on 10 March 2016, at the first sitting of the 32nd Dáil, Kenny failed to gain the support of the house and tendered his resignation to the President. He remained in office in a capacity until being re-elected on 6 May 2016. The word means chieftain or leader in Irish and was adopted in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland as the title of the head of the Government, Taoiseach is the official title of the head of government in both English and Irish. Outside of Ireland, the Taoiseach is often referred to as the Prime Minister of Ireland, under the Constitution of Ireland, the Taoiseach is nominated by a simple majority of Dáil Éireann from among its members. He/she is then appointed to office by the President, who is required to appoint whomever the Dáil designates. For this reason, it is said that the Taoiseach is elected by Dáil Éireann. The Taoiseach may lose the support of Dáil Éireann by the passage of a vote of no confidence, or the failure of a vote of confidence, or alternatively, the Dáil may refuse supply. In the event of the Taoiseachs resignation, he/she continues to exercise the duties, the Taoiseach nominates the remaining members of the Government, who are then, with the consent of the Dáil, appointed by the President. The Taoiseach also has authority to advise the President to dismiss cabinet ministers from office, advice the President is required to follow by convention, the Taoiseach is further responsible for appointing eleven members of the Seanad. The Department of the Taoiseach is the government department which supports, since 2013, the Taoiseachs annual salary is €185,350. It was cut from €214,187 to €200,000 when Kenny took office, a proposed increase of €38,000 in 2007 was deferred when Brian Cowen became Taoiseach and in October 2008, the government announced a 10% salary cut for all ministers, including the Taoiseach. However this was a cut and the salaries remained nominally the same with ministers. This courted controversy in December 2009 when a cut of 20% was based on the higher figure before the refused amount was deducted. The Taoiseach is also allowed an additional €118,981 in annual expenses, there is no official residence of the Taoiseach. The house, which part of the Farmleigh estate acquired by the State in 1999 for €29. 2m, was renovated at a cost of nearly €600,000 in 2005 by the Office of Public Works. Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern did not use it as a residence, the words Taoiseach and Tánaiste are both from the Irish language and of ancient origin. Though the Taoiseach is described in the Constitution of Ireland as the head of the Government or Prime Minister, Tánaiste in turn refers to the system of tanistry, the Gaelic system of succession whereby a leader would appoint an heir apparent while still living

17.
Bertie Ahern
–
Patrick Bartholomew Bertie Ahern is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008. Ahern served as a Teachta Dála from 1977 to 2011, representing Dublin Finglas from 1977 to 1981, before he became Taoiseach, he served in the governments of Charles Haughey and Albert Reynolds as Minister for Labour and Minister for Finance. He also served briefly as Tánaiste after the break-up of Albert Reynolds coalition government, in 1994, Ahern was elected sixth leader of Fianna Fáil. Under Aherns leadership Fianna Fáil led three coalition governments, after Éamon de Valera, Bertie Aherns term as Taoiseach is the longest. Ahern resigned as Taoiseach on 6 May 2008, in the wake of revelations made in Mahon Tribunal, the Mahon Tribunal in 2012 found that Ahern, while not judged corrupt, had received monies from developers and the Tribunal disbelieved his explanations of those payments. Fianna Fáil proposed to expel politicians censured by the tribunal, in November 2016, it was announced that a decision had been made by Fianna Fáil to give Ahern the option of rejoining the party. Ahern was born in Drumcondra, Dublin and this is an area within the Dublin Central constituency where he has lived all his life. Ahern is the youngest of five children of Con Ahern and Julia Ahern, Con Ahern and Julia Hourihane were married in October 1937 and settled at Church Avenue, Drumcondra, where they resided for the rest of their lives. The other four children are Maurice, Kathleen, Noel and Eileen, in Dublin, Aherns father worked as a farm manager at All Hallows College, Drumcondra. Aherns brother Noel is also involved in politics and represented Dublin North-West in Dáil Éireann, Bertie Aherns father Con was born into a farming family near Ballyfeard, which is located near Kinsale, County Cork, in 1904. His mother also came from a background and was from near Castledonovan. Aherns father, Con, initially left County Cork and went to Dublin in the early 1930s to train for the priesthood and he had fought in the Civil War and was a supporter of Éamon de Valera and the Anti-Treaty IRA. He was a member of the 3rd Cork Brigade of the IRA and he remained a militant Irish Republican for decades after the War of Independence. Bertie Aherns mother, Julia, died in 1998, aged 87 years, Ahern was educated at St. Patricks National School in Drumcondra and at St. Aidans Christian Brothers in Whitehall. He received his third level education at the College of Commerce, Rathmines, the Irish Independent described him as an accounts clerk. Ahern is an enthusiastic and vocal fan of sport and he is a supporter of Dublin GAA and attends Dublin matches in Croke Park. He also supports Manchester United F. C. and attends matches at Old Trafford and he appeared as a pundit on RTÉ Twos The Premiership programme in 2001. Ahern first became involved in a Fianna Fáil by-election campaign in 1965, during the campaign, Ahern met his political mentor and future Taoiseach, Charles Haughey

18.
Mary Harney
–
Mary Harney is an Irish former politician. She served as Tánaiste from 1997 to 2006, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 1997 to 2004 and she also served as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South-West and Dublin Mid-West constituencies from 1981 to 2011. She was leader of the Progressive Democrats party between 1993 and 2006 and again from 2007 to 2008 and she resumed her role as leader in 2007 after her successor, Michael McDowell, lost his seat at the 2007 general election. She is the longest-ever serving female member of Dáil Éireann, Harney was born in Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, County Galway in 1953. Her parents, who lived in nearby Ahascragh, were farmers but her family moved to Newcastle, County Dublin shortly after her birth. She was educated at the Convent of Mercy, Inchicore and Presentation Convent, Clondalkin before studying at Trinity College, during her time at university, she made history by becoming the first female auditor of the College Historical Society. In 1976, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in General Studies, Harney came to the attention of Fianna Fáil leader Jack Lynch and stood unsuccessfully as a Fianna Fáil candidate in the 1977 general election. She was then appointed to Seanad Éireann by Lynch who had become Taoiseach and she was the youngest ever member of the Seanad when appointed, aged 24. In 1979, Harney had her first electoral success when she was elected to Dublin County Council, two years later she was elected to the Dáil at the 1981 general election for Dublin South-West. She retained her seat at every election until her retirement in 2011, as a member of the so-called Gang of 22, she was expelled from the party after voting in favour of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985. Harney went on to become a member of the Progressive Democrats with Desmond OMalley. Following the 1989 general election the Progressive Democrats entered into a government with Fianna Fáil. Harney was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for Environmental Protection, as Minister of State she legislated to ban the sale of bituminous coal in Dublin, thereby eliminating smog from the city. She served in this position until the party withdrew from government in late 1992, in February 1993, Harney was appointed Deputy Leader of the Progressive Democrats, and succeeded OMalley as party Leader in October of that year. Following the 1997 general election and lengthy negotiations, the Progressive Democrats entered into government with Fianna Fáil. Harney was appointed the first female Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and she was re-appointed Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Harney was Irelands representative to the European Council of Ministers for the Software Patents Directive, in December 2001, Harney controversially used an Air Corps aircraft to travel to County Leitrim to open a friends off-licence in Manorhamilton, the trip cost €1,500. Harney later apologised for having abused her position in using the plane for non-government business, the aircraft was to be used 90% of the time exclusively for maritime surveillance

19.
Progressive Democrats
–
The Progressive Democrats, commonly known as the PDs, was a liberal and conservative-liberal political party in the Republic of Ireland. The party also supported economic liberalisation, advocating measures such as taxation, fiscal conservatism, privatisation. These successive years as the junior coalition partner gave the party an influence on Irish politics and economics disproportionate to its small size. On 8 November 2008 the party began the process of disbanding, the party was a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. Its youth wing was the Young Progressive Democrats, the party was founded in 1985 by Desmond OMalley, a former senior minister in Fianna Fáil governments under Jack Lynch and Charles Haughey. OMalley was an opponent of Haughey and was involved in a number of leadership heaves against Haughey. OMalley joined with Fianna Fáil members Mary Harney, Bobby Molloy and Pearse Wyse, Fine Gael TD Michael Keating, the breakaways were dissatisfied with the policies of existing parties, which they viewed as being insufficiently liberal, both economically and on social issues such as divorce and contraception. In the 1987 general election the new party won 14 seats and 11. 9% of the vote, the Progressive Democrats formed the second-largest opposition party under difficult circumstances. The minority Fianna Fáil government introduced some of the reforms that the Progressive Democrats had recommended. Fianna Fáil was however supported by Fine Gael where the economy was concerned. After the 1989 election the party had six seats but formed a coalition government with Fianna Fáil, with Charles Haughey as Taoiseach. Haughey was replaced in February 1992 by Albert Reynolds, PD leader Desmond OMalley served as Minister for Industry and Commerce. After the collapse of Reynolds first administration later in 1992, OMalley retired from the leadership of the party, following the 1992 general election, John Dardis and Cathy Honan were elected to Seanad Éireann as part of an election pact with their politically polar opposites Democratic Left. Mary Harney became the new leader after an electoral contest with Pat Cox who later left the party. Harney was the first woman to lead any of the major Irish political parties, Harney served as Tánaiste from May 1997 until September 2006 after a return to government in coalition with Fianna Fáil. In the 2002 general election the party defied expectations by doubling its Dáil seats to eight, in total the Progressive Democrats participated in coalition governments four times, on each occasion with Fianna Fáil, and also with the Green Party from 2007–2009. On 7 September 2006 Mary Harney announced that she was stepping down as leader of the Progressive Democrats and she expressed a wish to stay on as Minister for Health. On 10 September, Michael McDowell was elected unopposed as Party Leader, having been nominated by Tom Parlon, Liz ODonnell became Deputy Leader and Tom Parlon became Party President

20.
Chief Justice of Ireland
–
The Chief Justice of Ireland is the president of the Supreme Court of Ireland. Under Constitution of Ireland, the Chief Justice of Ireland also occupies several positions ex officio, a member of the Council of State. A member of the Presidential Commission, under s.2 of the Referendum Act 1998, the Chief Justice nominates the chairperson of the Referendum Commission. The Twenty-second Amendment of the Constitution Bill,2001 was not passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas, before 1924 the Lord Chancellor of Ireland was the highest judicial office in Ireland The Supreme Court sits in the Four Courts. When the Supreme Court sits as it mostly does in two chambers, the second chamber sits in the Hugh Kennedy Court, named after the First Chief Justice

21.
Treaty of Nice
–
The Treaty of Nice was signed by European leaders on 26 February 2001 and came into force on 1 February 2003. It amended the Maastricht Treaty and the Treaty of Rome, the entry into force of the treaty was in doubt for a time, after its initial rejection by Irish voters in a referendum in June 2001. This referendum result was reversed in a subsequent referendum held a little over a year later, the Nice Treaty was attacked by many people as a flawed compromise. This was also rejected by France for similar reasons, the Treaty provided for an increase after enlargement of the number of seats in the European Parliament to 732, which exceeded the cap established by the Treaty of Amsterdam. As a transitional measure it specified that after 1 January 2005, Germany, France, the Treaty provided for the creation of subsidiary courts below the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance to deal with special areas of law such as patents. The Treaty of Nice provides for new rules on closer co-operation, the rules introduced in the Treaty of Amsterdam being viewed as unworkable, the Treaty also contained provisions to deal with the financial consequences of the expiry of the European Coal and Steel Community treaty. Under the current rules for the amendment of the Treaties, the Treaties can only be amended by a new Treaty, which must be ratified by each of the Member States to enter into force. In all the EU member states the Treaty of Nice was ratified by parliamentary procedure, except in Ireland where, an Taoiseach, any amendments that result in a transfer of sovereignty to the European Union require a constitutional amendment. Irelands Constitution can only be amended by a referendum, to the surprise of the Irish government and the other EU member states, Irish voters rejected the Treaty of Nice in June 2001. However, many Irish voters were critical of the Treaty contents, others questioned the impact of the Treaty on Irish neutrality. The result was a 60% Yes vote on a near-50% turn-out, by then all other EU member states had ratified the Treaty. Ratification by all parties was required by the end of the year and they claim that, consequently, the treaty was vitally important for the integration and future progress of these former Eastern Bloc countries. Many people who were in favour of greater scope and power of the EU project felt that it did not go far enough and they also claimed that the Treaty of Nice would create a two-tier EU, which might marginalise Ireland. Opponents pointed out that leading pro-treaty politicians had admitted that if referendums had been held in other than Ireland. However, in the end this did not come to pass, the German regions were also demanding a clearer separation of the powers of the Union from the Member States

22.
National Museum of Ireland
–
The National Museum of Ireland has a strong emphasis on Irish art, culture and natural history. It has three branches in Dublin and one in County Mayo, the Kingship and Sacrifice exhibition includes well preserved bog bodies and Ralaghan Man. There are special displays of items from Egypt, Cyprus and the Roman world and this section includes famous examples of early medieval Celtic metalwork in Ireland such as the Ardagh Chalice, the Tara Brooch, and the Derrynaflan Hoard. Prehistoric pieces include the Iron Age Broighter Gold and over 50 gold lunulas, many of these pieces were found in the 19th century by poor people or agricultural labourers, when population expansion led to cultivation of land which had not been touched since the Middle Ages. Contemporary Irish are more tuned to their heritage, as can be seen in the example of the Irish Bog Psalter, the Museums of both the above-mentioned institutions formed the basis for the Archaeology and History section of the Museum at Kildare Street. This is the site opened in 1890 as the Dublin Museum of Science and Art in the building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane and his son. Until 1922, this also included Leinster House, now the home of the Oireachtas. This site, opened in 1997, also holds the Museums administrative centre, a shop and this section has displays of furniture, silver, ceramics and glassware, as well as examples of folk life and costume, and money and weapons. A Chinese porcelain vase from about 1300 AD, the Fonthill vase, is one of the features, special exhibitions are mounted regularly, in summer 2007, for example, replicas of six Irish High Crosses that were subsequently shown internationally. The Soldiers & Chiefs exhibition features military artifacts and memorabilia tracing Irelands military history from 1550 to the present, country Life is the most recent part of the museum to be opened. It is located just outside Turlough Village, on the N5 eight kilometres east of Castlebar, in County Mayo, the museum is focused on ordinary life from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, with much of the material coming from rural Ireland in the 1930s. There are displays on the home, the environment, communities and forces for change. The Natural History Museum, which is part of the National Museum, although thought of as distinct, is on Merrion Street in Dublin. Its collection and Victorian appearance have not changed significantly since the early 20th century, cross of Cong Short Histories of Irish Barracks by Patrick Denis ODonnell, in An Cosantóir, 1969–1973. Dublins Collins Barracks over the years, by Patrick Denis ODonnell in Hollybough, Dublin Barracks – A Brief History of Collins Barracks, by Mairead Dunleavy, National Museum of Ireland,2002. Treasures of early Irish art,1500 B. C. to 1500 A. D. from the collections of the National Museum of Ireland, Royal Irish Academy, Trinity College, new York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. National Museum of Ireland website Introduction to the Archaeology and Ethnography Museum

23.
Museum of Country Life
–
The Museum of Country Life is located in Turlough Village,8 km northeast of Castlebar, County Mayo in Ireland. Established in 2001, the museum is part of the National Museum of Ireland and is the national museum outside of Dublin. The museum exhibits the way of life of rural Irish people between 1850 and 1950, and it is in the grounds of Turlough Park House, there are displays about the home, the natural environment, trades and crafts, communities, and working on the land and water. Turlough House was designed by Thomas Newenham Deane, who designed the Kildare Street branch of the National Museum of Ireland. It was built from 1863–1867, and was owned by the Fitzgerald family of Turlough, in 1991, the house and 36 acres were purchased by the Mayo County Council. The house was renovated and an adjacent museum building was constructed, the upstairs of the house is used as offices by the museum staff, and the downstairs is on show to the public. The National Museum of Ireland and Museum of Country Life has undergone a decrease in funding from €19m in 2008 to less than €12m in 2014. Although there were plans to close some of the museum branches or initiate an entrance fee, as of 2014. The museum has permanent and temporary exhibitions, including, Michael Davitt Exhibition, an exhibition to commemorate the life of Michael Davitt. The Cross of Cong, a 12th-century processional cross that purportedly contains a piece of the True Cross, the cross was kept at Cong Abbey in County Mayo until 1839 when it was given to the Royal Irish Academy and then the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. In 2010, the cross was returned to County Mayo to be displayed at the Museum of Country Life for one year, power and Privilege, Photographs of the Big House in Ireland 1858-1922, an exhibit showing the lives of the gentry and their servants. The Coggalbeg hoard, a bronze-age, gold collar and discs that were dug up in a bog near Strokestown in 1945, the hoard had been stored in a Pharmacy safe until the safe was stolen in 2009. The contents of the safe, including the objects which were presumably overlooked, were found in a dumpster

24.
Turlough, County Mayo
–
Turlough, is a village in County Mayo, Ireland,6 km northeast of Castlebar. It is known for the presence of the Museum of Country Life, turlough is also the name of the surrounding 241 acre townland. It lies along the Castlebar River just off the N5 road, and the countryside around the village is scattered with standing stones, a well, fulachtaí fia. Turlough is also home to a branch of the National Museum of Ireland, the Museum of Country Life Turlock, California

25.
September 11 attacks
–
The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11,2001. The attacks killed 2,996 people, injured over 6,000 others, two of the planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia and it was the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement officers in the history of the United States, with 343 and 72 killed respectively. Suspicion for the attack fell on al-Qaeda. The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded the powers of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to prevent terrorist attacks. Although al-Qaedas leader, Osama bin Laden, initially denied any involvement, al-Qaeda and bin Laden cited U. S. support of Israel, the presence of U. S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq as motives. Having evaded capture for almost a decade, bin Laden was located and killed by SEAL Team Six of the U. S. Navy in May 2011. S. many closings, evacuations, and cancellations followed, out of respect or fear of further attacks. Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, on November 18,2006, construction of One World Trade Center began at the World Trade Center site. The building was opened on November 3,2014. The origins of al-Qaeda can be traced to 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden traveled to Afghanistan and helped organize Arab mujahideen to resist the Soviets. Under the guidance of Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden became more radical, in 1996, bin Laden issued his first fatwā, calling for American soldiers to leave Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden used Islamic texts to exhort Muslims to attack Americans until the stated grievances are reversed, Muslim legal scholars have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries, according to bin Laden. Bin Laden, who orchestrated the attacks, initially denied but later admitted involvement, in November 2001, U. S. forces recovered a videotape from a destroyed house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. In the video, bin Laden is seen talking to Khaled al-Harbi, on December 27,2001, a second bin Laden video was released. In the video, he said, It has become clear that the West in general and it is the hatred of crusaders. Terrorism against America deserves to be praised because it was a response to injustice, aimed at forcing America to stop its support for Israel, the transcript refers several times to the United States specifically targeting Muslims. He said that the attacks were carried out because, we are free, and want to regain freedom for our nation. As you undermine our security we undermine yours, Bin Laden said he had personally directed his followers to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon

26.
New York City Fire Department
–
The New York City Fire Department is the largest municipal fire department in the United States and the second largest in the world after the Tokyo Fire Department. The FDNY employs approximately 10,200 uniformed firefighters and over 3,940 uniformed EMTs, paramedics and its regulations are compiled in title 3 of the New York City Rules. The FDNYs motto is New Yorks Bravest, the FDNY serves more than 8 million residents within a 320 square mile area. The FDNY headquarters is located at 9 MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn, there are Three Bureau of Fire Communications alarm offices which receive and dispatch alarms to appropriate units. One office, at 11 Metrotech Center in Brooklyn, houses Citywide, Brooklyn, the Bronx houses Manhattan and the Bronx, and Queens houses Queens. The current Fire Commissioner is Daniel A. Nigro, who took over the position from Salvatore J. Cassano in June 2014. Staff chiefs include the seven citywide tour commanders, the Chief of Safety, the Chief of Fire Prevention, operationally and geographically, the department is nominally organized into five Borough Commands for the five traditional Boroughs of New York City. Within those five Borough Commands exists nine firefighting Divisions, each headed by a Deputy Division Chief, within each Division are four to seven Battalions, each led by a Battalion Chief. Each Battalion consists of three to eight firehouses and consists of approximately 180–200 firefighters and officers, each firehouse consists of one to three fire companies. Each fire company is led by a captain, who commands three lieutenants and nine to twenty firefighters, there are currently four shifts of firefighters in each company. Tours can be either night tours or day tours, the FDNY faces highly multifaceted firefighting challenges in many ways unique to New York. The origins of the New York City Fire Department go back to 1648 when the first fire ordinance was adopted in what was then the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. Peter Stuyvesant, within one year of his arrival, appointed four fire wardens to wooden chimneys of thatched-roofed wooden houses, the first four fire wardens were Martin Krieger, Thomas Hall, Adrian Wyser, and George Woolsey. Hooks, ladders and buckets were financed through the collection of fines for dirty chimneys, an organization known as the prowlers but given the nickname the rattle watch patrolled the streets with buckets, ladders and hooks from nine in the evening until dawn looking for fires. Leather shoe buckets,250 in all, were manufactured by local Dutch shoemakers in 1658, in 1664 New Amsterdam became an English settlement and was renamed New York. The first New York fire brigade entered service in 1731 equipped with two hand-drawn pumpers which had transported from London, England. These two pumpers formed Engine Company 1 and Engine Company 2, the citys first firehouse was built in 1736 in front of City Hall on Broad Street. In 1865, the fire department was abolished by a state act which created the Metropolitan Fire District

27.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
–
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was established as a sovereign state on 1 January 1801 by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland. The growing desire for an Irish Republic led to the Irish War of Independence, Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom, and the state was consequently renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Britain financed the European coalition that defeated France in 1815 in the Napoleonic Wars, the British Empire thereby became the foremost world power for the next century. The Crimean War with Russia and the Boer wars were relatively small operations in a largely peaceful century, rapid industrialisation that began in the decades prior to the states formation continued up until the mid-19th century. A devastating famine, exacerbated by government inaction in the century, led to demographic collapse in much of Ireland. It was an era of economic modernization and growth of industry, trade and finance. Outward migration was heavy to the colonies and to the United States. Britain also built up a large British Empire in Africa and Asia, India, by far the most important possession, saw a short-lived revolt in 1857. In foreign policy Britain favoured free trade, which enabled its financiers and merchants to operate successfully in many otherwise independent countries, as in South America. Britain formed no permanent military alliances until the early 20th century, when it began to cooperate with Japan, France and Russia, and moved closer to the United States. A brief period of limited independence for Ireland came to an end following the Irish Rebellion of 1798, the British governments fear of an independent Ireland siding against them with the French resulted in the decision to unite the two countries. This was brought about by legislation in the parliaments of both kingdoms and came into effect on 1 January 1801, however, King George III was bitterly opposed to any such Emancipation and succeeded in defeating his governments attempts to introduce it. When the Treaty of Amiens ended the war, Britain agreed to return most of the territories it had seized, in May 1803, war was declared again. In 1806, Napoleon issued the series of Berlin Decrees, which brought into effect the Continental System and this policy aimed to eliminate the threat from the British by closing French-controlled territory to foreign trade. Frances population and agricultural capacity far outstripped that of the British Isles, Napoleon expected that cutting Britain off from the European mainland would end its economic hegemony. The Spanish uprising in 1808 at last permitted Britain to gain a foothold on the Continent, after Napoleons surrender and exile to the island of Elba, peace appeared to have returned. The Allies united and the armies of Wellington and Blucher defeated Napoleon once, simultaneous with the Napoleonic Wars, trade disputes, arming hostile Indians and British impressment of American sailors led to the War of 1812 with the United States. The war was little noticed in Britain, which could devote few resources to the conflict until the fall of Napoleon in 1814, American frigates inflicted a series of defeats on the Royal Navy, which was short on manpower due to the conflict in Europe

28.
Irish War of Independence
–
The Irish War of Independence or Anglo-Irish War or the Tan War was a guerrilla war fought from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army and the British security forces in Ireland. It was an escalation of the Irish revolutionary period into armed conflict, in the December 1918 election, the Irish republican party Sinn Féin won a landslide victory in Ireland. On 21 January 1919 they formed a government and declared independence from Britain. Later that day, two members of the British-organized armed police force, the Royal Irish Constabulary, were dead in County Tipperary by IRA members acting on their own initiative. This is often seen as the beginning of the conflict, for much of 1919, IRA activity primarily involved capturing weapons and freeing republican prisoners. In September that year the British government outlawed the Dáil and Sinn Féin, the IRA began ambushing RIC and British Army patrols, attacking their barracks and forcing isolated barracks to be abandoned. The British government bolstered the RIC with recruits from Britain—the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries—who became notorious for ill-discipline, the conflict as a result is often referred to as the Black and Tan War or simply the Tan War. While around 300 people had killed in the conflict up to late 1920. A week later, seventeen Auxiliaries were killed by the IRA in an ambush at Kilmichael in County Cork, the British government declared martial law in much of southern Ireland. The centre of Cork City was burnt out by British forces in December 1920, violence continued to escalate over the next seven months, when 1,000 people were killed and 4,500 republicans were interned. The fighting was concentrated in Munster, Dublin and Belfast. These three locations saw over 75% of the conflicts fatalities, violence in Ulster, especially Belfast, was notable for its sectarian character and its high number of Catholic civilian victims. Both sides agreed to a truce on 11 July 1921, the post-ceasefire talks led to the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December 1921. However, six counties remained within the United Kingdom. After the ceasefire, political and sectarian violence between republicans and loyalists continued in Northern Ireland for many months, in June 1922, disagreement among republicans over the Anglo-Irish Treaty led to an eleven-month civil war. The Irish Free State awarded 62,868 medals for service during the War of Independence, since the 1880s, Irish nationalists in the Irish Parliamentary Party had been demanding Home Rule, or self-government, from Britain. Fringe organisations, such as Arthur Griffiths Sinn Féin instead argued for some form of Irish independence, in turn, nationalists formed their own paramilitary organisation, the Irish Volunteers. But a significant minority of the Irish Volunteers opposed Irelands involvement in the war, the Volunteer movement split, a majority leaving to form the National Volunteers under Redmond

29.
Police Service of Northern Ireland
–
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is the police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the defunct Royal Ulster Constabulary which, although the majority of PSNI officers are still Ulster Protestants, this dominance is not as pronounced as it was in the RUC because of positive discrimination policies. The RUC was a police force and played a key role in policing the violent conflict known as the Troubles. As part of the Good Friday Agreement, there was an agreement to introduce a new police force based on the body of constables of the RUC. As part of the reform, an Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland was set up, the Police Act 2000 named the new police force as the Police Service of Northern Ireland, shortened to Police Service of Northern Ireland for operational purposes. All major political parties in Northern Ireland now support the PSNI, at first Sinn Féin, which represents about a quarter of Northern Ireland voters, refused to endorse the PSNI until the Patten Commissions recommendations were implemented in full. However, as part of the St Andrews Agreement, Sinn Féin announced its acceptance of the PSNI in January 2007. The senior officer in charge of the PSNI is its Chief Constable, the Chief Constable is appointed by the Northern Ireland Policing Board, subject to the approval of the Minister of Justice for Northern Ireland. The Chief Constable of Northern Ireland is the third-highest paid British police officer, the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police are respectively the highest-paid and second-highest paid British police officers. Each district is headed by a Chief Superintendent, districts are divided into areas, commanded by a Chief Inspector, these in turn are divided into sectors, commanded by Inspectors. In recent years, under new structural reforms, some Chief Inspectors command more than one area as the PSNI strives to make savings, in 2001 the old police divisions and sub-divisions were replaced with 29 District Command Units, broadly coterminous with local council areas. In 2007 the DCUs were replaced by eight districts in anticipation of local government restructuring under the Review of Public Administration, responsibility for policing and justice was devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 9 March 2010, although direction and control of the PSNI remains under the Chief Constable. PSNI officers have police powers throughout Northern Ireland and the adjacent United Kingdom waters. Other than in mutual aid circumstances they have limited police powers in the other two legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom—England and Wales, and Scotland. The Patten Report recommended that a programme of long-term personnel exchanges should be established between the PSNI and the Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland. This recommendation was enacted in 2002 by an Inter-Governmental Agreement on Policing Cooperation, the PSNI also has an education organisation named B safe, created by Dympna Thornton in 2006. The PSNI is supervised by the Northern Ireland Policing Board, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland deals with any complaints regarding the PSNI, and investigates any allegations of misconduct by police officers. The current Police Ombudsman is former Oversight Commissioner Al Hutchinson, who took over from Nuala OLoan in November 2007, the Oversight role ended on 31 May 2007, with the final report indicating that of Pattens 175 recommendations,140 had been completed with a further 16 substantially completed

30.
Gaelic Athletic Association
–
The Association also promotes Irish music and dance, and the Irish language. It has more than 500,000 members worldwide, assets in excess of €2.6 billion, Gaelic football and hurling are the most popular activities promoted by the organisation, and the most popular sports in the Republic of Ireland in terms of attendances. Gaelic football is also the largest participation sport in Northern Ireland, GAA Handball is the Irish governing body for the sport of handball, while the other Gaelic sport, rounders, is managed by the GAA Rounders National Council. And so, the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded, the architects and founding members were Michael Cusack of County Clare, Maurice Davin, Joseph K. Bracken, Thomas St George McCarthy, P. J. Ryan of Tipperary, John Wise-Power, and John McKay. Up to the century most of the members were farm labourers, small farmers. But from 1900 onwards a new type of person – those who were now being influenced by the Gaelic League — joined the movement and they tended to be clerks, school teachers or civil servants. In 1922 it passed over the job of promoting athletics to the National Athletic, while some units of the Association outside Ireland participate in Irish competitions, the Association does not hold internationals played according to the rules of either Gaelic football or hurling. Compromise rules have been reached with two related sports, hurlers play an annual fixture against a national shinty team from Scotland. The venue alternates between Ireland and Australia, recently, the Irish welcomed the All Australian team at the headquarters of the GAA on 21 November 2015. It was single one-off test match, which led the Irish to reclaim the Cormac McAnallen cup by a score of 56-52, the association has had a long history of promoting Irish culture. Through a division of the known as Scór, the Association promotes Irish cultural activities, running competitions in music. Rule 4 of the GAAs Official Guide states, The Association shall actively support the Irish language, traditional Irish dancing, music, song, and other aspects of Irish culture. It shall foster an awareness and love of the ideals in the people of Ireland. The group was founded in 1969, and is promoted through various Association clubs throughout Ireland. The Association has many stadiums scattered throughout Ireland and beyond, every county, and nearly all clubs, have grounds on which to play their home games, with varying capacities and utilities. The hierarchical structure of the GAA is applied to the use of grounds, the provincial championship finals are usually played at the same venue every year. Croke Park is the Associations flagship venue and is colloquially as Croker or Headquarters. With a capacity of 82,300, it ranks among the top five stadiums in Europe by capacity, having undergone extensive renovations for most of the 1990s, every September, Croke Park hosts the All-Ireland inter-county Hurling and Football Finals as the conclusion to the summer championships

31.
British Army
–
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom. As of 2017 the British Army comprises just over 80,000 trained Regular, or full-time, personnel and just over 26,500 trained Reserve, or part-time personnel. Therefore, the UK Parliament approves the continued existence of the Army by passing an Armed Forces Act at least once every five years, day to day the Army comes under administration of the Ministry of Defence and is commanded by the Chief of the General Staff. Repeatedly emerging victorious from these decisive wars allowed Britain to influence world events with its policies and establish itself as one of the leading military. In 1660 the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were restored under Charles II, Charles favoured the foundation of a new army under royal control and began work towards its establishment by August 1660. The Royal Scots Army and the Irish Army were financed by the Parliament of Scotland, the order of seniority of the most senior line regiments in the British Army is based on the order of seniority in the English army. At that time there was only one English regiment of dragoons, after William and Marys accession to the throne, England involved itself in the War of the Grand Alliance, primarily to prevent a French invasion restoring Marys father, James II. Spain, in the two centuries, had been the dominant global power, and the chief threat to Englands early transatlantic ambitions. The territorial ambitions of the French, however, led to the War of the Spanish Succession and the Napoleonic Wars. From the time of the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, Great Britain was the naval power. As had its predecessor, the English Army, the British Army fought the Kingdoms of Spain, France, and the Netherlands for supremacy in North America and the West Indies. With native and provincial assistance, the Army conquered New France in the North American theatre of the Seven Years War, the British Army suffered defeat in the American War of Independence, losing the Thirteen Colonies but holding on to Canada. The British Army was heavily involved in the Napoleonic Wars and served in campaigns across Europe. The war between the British and the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte stretched around the world and at its peak, in 1813, the regular army contained over 250,000 men. A Coalition of Anglo-Dutch and Prussian Armies under the Duke of Wellington, the English had been involved, both politically and militarily, in Ireland since being given the Lordship of Ireland by the Pope in 1171. The campaign of the English republican Protector, Oliver Cromwell, involved uncompromising treatment of the Irish towns that had supported the Royalists during the English Civil War, the English Army stayed in Ireland primarily to suppress numerous Irish revolts and campaigns for independence. Having learnt from their experience in America, the British government sought a political solution, the British Army found itself fighting Irish rebels, both Protestant and Catholic, primarily in Ulster and Leinster in the 1798 rebellion. The Haldane Reforms of 1907 formally created the Territorial Force as the Armys volunteer reserve component by merging and reorganising the Volunteer Force, Militia, Great Britains dominance of the world had been challenged by numerous other powers, in the 20th century, most notably Germany

32.
Irish euro coins
–
The same harp is used as on the official seals of the Taoiseach, and government ministers and the Seal of the Uachtaran. The coins design also features the 12 stars of the EU, the year of minting and these in turn are surrounded by the 12 stars of the flag of Europe. On the one-euro coin the stars appear on the gold coloured surround with the harp, the colours are in the reverse for the two euro coin. * No coins were minted that year for that denomination ** Data not available yet Limited release in 2010, featuring an Irish hunter horse, Limited release in 2011, featuring a Salmon and smolt. Limited release in 2012, featuring an Irish wolfhound and pup, coins of the Republic of Ireland Identifying marks on euro coins The Euro Information Website – Ireland euroHOBBY Ireland

33.
An Post
–
An Post is the state-owned provider of postal services in Republic of Ireland. An Post provides a postal service to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union. Services provided include, letter post, parcel service, deposit accounts, Swiftpost, an all-Ireland next-day delivery service, and EMS, prior to this the postal service in Ireland had been under the control of the General Post Office that was established in 1660. Today An Post remains one of Irelands largest employers but it has undergone considerable downsizing, in 2014, all parts of An Post made a profit for the first time in 8 years. There are currently approximately 1,100 An Post offices and 121 postal agents across the Republic of Ireland, the Irish government announced the introduction of a postcode system in Ireland from 2008 though An Post was against the system, saying it is unnecessary. The introduction of the system took place on 13 July 2015. All parcel post arriving in Ireland passes through An Posts mail centre in Port Laoise, an Post is involved in a number of subsidiaries. It has complete ownership of some of these, while it is part-owner of others, such as the An Post National Lottery Company and the Prize Bond Company Limited. An Post held the licence granted by the Minister for Finance to run the National Lottery through its subsidiary, all employees of An Post National Lottery Company were seconded from An Post, and as such were employed and paid by An Post rather than by the subsidiary. Since 2014, the National Lottery has been operated by Premier Lotteries Ireland, in 2003, An Post set up a new division to run its post office and transaction services business, entitled An Post Transaction Services or PostTS. It rebranded its post offices network as Post Office or Oifig an Phoist with a new, white-and-red logo and it also introduced a service whereby newsagents could provide some Post Office services, entitled PostPoint. This was thought to have reversed a trend in business. PostTS also expanded abroad, with operations in the UK and Spain, in 2005 PostTS sold its foreign operations. The rebranding effort was partially reversed due to criticism, with the traditional An Post logo restored to Post Offices, at this time this change is complete at almost all premises. On 5 October 2006 An Post signed an agreement for the creation of a joint venture with Fortis to provide financial services through the Post Office network. The new venture will offer a range of products and services to the Irish market, including daily banking, savings products, insurance, mortgages. PostPoint and the insurance business, One Direct, will become part of the new company. On 29 April 2007 a press launch was held for the new bank, the banks savings and investment products include Solid Saver and Sure Investor

34.
Irish pound
–
The Irish Pound was the currency of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO4217 code was IEP, and the notation was the prefix £. The Irish pound was superseded by the euro on 1 January 1999, euro currency did not begin circulation until the beginning of 2002. The earliest Irish coinage was introduced in the year 997, with a pound divided like the English pound into twenty shillings, each of twelve silver pence. Parity with the sterling was established by King John around 1210, so that Irish silver could move freely into the English economy. However, from 1460, Irish coins were minted with a different silver content to those of England, during the Williamite War of 1689–1691, King James II, no longer reigning in England and Scotland, issued an emergency base-metal coinage known as gun money. In 1701, the relationship between the Irish pound and the English pound sterling was fixed at thirteen Irish pounds equalling twelve English pounds. This relationship made it possible for Irish copper coins to circulate with English silver coins, in 1801, Ireland became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, but the Irish pound continued to exist until January 1826. Between 1804 and 1813 silver tokens worth tenpence were issued by the Bank of Ireland and were denominated in pence Irish, the last copper coins of the Irish pound were minted in 1823, and in 1826 the Irish pound was merged with the pound sterling. From continuing to use sterling after independence, the new Irish Free State brought in its own currency from 1928, de facto rather than de jure, parity with sterling was maintained for another fifty years. As with sterling, the £sd system was used, with the Irish names punt, scilling, distinctive coins and notes were introduced, the coins from 1928 – all with the same dimensions as their British counterparts. However, the pound sterling generally continued to be accepted on a one-for-one basis everywhere, from 1938, the means of tender was referred to as the Irish Pound, after the Constitution of Ireland changed the states name. The Currency Act,1927, Adaptation Order,1938 was the mechanism by which change took place. Decimalisation of the currency was discussed during the 1960s, when the British government decided to decimalise its currency, the Irish government followed suit. The legislative basis for decimalisation in the Republic was the Decimal Currency Act,1969, the number of pence in the Irish pound was redefined from 240 to 100, with the penny symbol changing from d to p. The pound itself was not revalued by this act and therefore pound banknotes were unaffected, the new 5 pence coin correlated with the old 1 shilling coin, and the new 10 pence coin correlated with the old 2 shilling coin. New coins were issued of the dimensions and materials as the corresponding new British coins. The Decimal Currency Act,1970 made additional provisions for the changeover not related with the issue of coins, decimalisation was overseen by the Irish Decimal Currency Board, created on 12 June 1968

35.
Old Master
–
In art history, Old Master refers to any painter of skill who worked in Europe before about 1800, or a painting by such an artist. An old master print is a print made by an artist in the same period. The term old master drawing is used in the same way, therefore, beyond a certain level of competence, date rather than quality is the criterion for using the term. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the term as A pre-eminent artist of the period before the modern, a pre-eminent western European painter of the 13th to 18th centuries. The term is used to refer to a painting or sculpture made by an Old Master. Les Maitres dautrefois of 1876 by Eugene Fromentin may have helped to popularize the concept, the collection in the Dresden museum essentially stops at the Baroque period. The end date is necessarily vague – for example, Goya is certainly an Old Master, the term might also be used for John Constable or Eugène Delacroix, but usually is not. The term tends to be avoided by art historians as too vague, especially when discussing paintings, although the terms Old Master Prints and it remains current in the art trade. Auction houses still usually divide their sales between, for example, Old Master Paintings, Nineteenth-century paintings and Modern paintings, christies defines the term as ranging from the 14th to the early 19th century. S. Master of Flémalle, Master of Mary of Burgundy, Master of Latin 757, Master of the Brunswick Diptych or Master of Schloss Lichtenstein

36.
Sir Alfred Beit, 2nd Baronet
–
Sir Alfred Lane Beit, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative Party politician, art collector and philanthropist and honorary Irish citizen. His uncle was Alfred Beit, a South African mining millionaire and his father Otto Beit was awarded the KCMG in 1920 and was created a baronet in February 1924. His mother was Lilian, daughter of Thomas Lane Carter of New Orleans, on Sir Ottos death in 1930, Alfred inherited a large fortune as well as numerous works of art, including works by Goya, Vermeer, Rubens and Gainsborough. Having lived at 49 Belgrave Square, he bought a mansion on Kensington Palace Gardens, known from 1930 as Sir Alfred Beit, he was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for St Pancras South East at the 1931 general election and re-elected in the 1935 general election. When the Second World War started he joined the Royal Air Force serving in Bomber Command, in 1944 he was appointed PPS to Oliver Stanley, the Colonial Secretary. Beit lost his seat in the 1945 general election, disillusioned with British politics and strongly opposed to the new Labour government, he and his wife moved to South Africa. However they were appalled by the system that developed there after 1948. Another first cousin Clementine Hozier had married Winston Churchill, clementines widowed mother spent long periods in Africa after marrying Captain Courteney Brocklehust, a game warden. Clementine and her sister were sent to stay with their cousins. She was a contemporary of Unity Mitford at St Margarets School, Bushey, and also went to Berlin to learn German and she was occasionally escorted by a handsome young stormtrooper, and was asked by Unity to waggle a flag as the darling Führer passed in the street. Given the Beits Jewish origins, this encounter with fascism did not last. Despite a happy marriage, the Beits had no children, Alfred Beit bought Russborough House in County Wicklow, Ireland in 1952, following a suggestion by Randal, 19th Lord Dunsany, and moved his art collection there. He had copied a mantelpiece from Russborough in his London home in the 1930s, the Beits continued to visit Africa in the 1950s and, having no children of their own, they paid for schools, libraries and health clinics in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Botswana. However, by the late 1970s they were saddened that many of these improvements had not been maintained by the post-colonial governments, living quietly in Ireland, their main interests centered on supporting the fine arts and the Wexford Festival Opera. In 1974, an IRA gang led by Rose Dugdale broke into Russborough House, making off with nineteen paintings, including a Goya, a Vermeer, the stolen paintings were notionally valued at more than IR£8 million. In the process, the Beits, though elderly, were pistol-whipped, tied up, the IRA intended to hold the paintings to ransom in exchange for the transfer of Dolours Price and Marian Price, IRA members who had been convicted of car-bombings in England. All the stolen paintings were recovered in County Cork a few weeks later, in 1986, the house was robbed again, this time by the Dublin criminal Martin Cahill. Cahill and his gang stole 18 paintings notionally valued at IR£30 million, all, in 2001, two more paintings were stolen in another robbery

37.
Russborough House
–
It is an example of Palladian architecture, designed by Richard Cassels for Joseph Leeson, 1st Earl of Milltown and built between 1741 and 1755. The interior of the house contains some ornate plasterwork on the ceilings by the Lafranchini brothers, the Leeson family originated in Northamptonshire and had moved to Ireland in the second half of the 17th century. A sizeable fortune made in brewing and property development in Dublin passed down to Joseph Leeson and he became an MP and was made Earl of Milltown in 1763. Russborough house was designed for Joseph Leeson by Richard Cassels and built between 1741 and 1755 and it remained in the possession of the Earls of Milltown until the sixth earl. On the death of his widow in 1914 it passed to a nephew, Edmund Turton, on Turtons death in 1929, his widow sold the house to Captain Denis Bowes Daly in 1931. Sir Alfred and Lady Beit bought Russborough in 1952 from Captain Daly to house their art collection, the foundation opened the historic mansion and its collections to the Irish public in 1978. Beit died in 1994 but Lady Beit remained in residence until her own death in 2005, on February 7,2010, a fire severely damaged the west wing and caused part of the roof to collapse. No art was damaged, being removed along with furniture to allow for restorations to the west wing, initial examinations of the damage suggested an electrical fault from wiring in the roof may have sparked the fire. In recent years locally advertised Farmers Markets have been held on a basis in the grounds of the house. Russborough has housed two fine art collections, begun with the Milltown estate, whose collection was donated to the National Gallery of Ireland by the widow of the sixth earl. Sir Alfred Beit bought the house in 1952 where he housed his own collection, comprising works by many great artists, including Goya, Vermeer, Peter Paul Rubens. This collection was since stolen four times, in 1974 by an IRA gang including British heiress Rose Dugdale, in 1986 by Martin Cahill, in 2001, Russborough House was used as a setting in 2011 film Haywire. Russborough House was used as a setting in 2016 film Love & Friendship and it was featured in Travel Channels Mysteries at the Castle, re-telling the story of the 1974 art heist. Palladian architecture Blessington Poulaphouca Reservoir Info from kildare. ie RTE, History of robberies in Russborough Dolnick, Russborough House - official site Conservation Plan

The Inauguration of Seán T. O'Kelly in 1945. The 2nd Cavalry Squadron of the Blue Hussars escort the President, who travelled in the late Queen Alexandra's landau. The Landau and the Hussars were later scrapped.

Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping", "open jumping", or simply "jumping", is a part of a group of English …

A competitor in a show jumping class

Proper show jumping attire, as seen in the show jumping phase of a three-day event. Attire at an event includes a mandatory armband as seen here, although the armband is not required in general show jumping.